[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REBUILD MAIN STREET AND RESCUE BACK STREET

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, civil rights' leaders and 
economists from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 
from the AFL-CIO, from the Center for Community Change, from the 
Economic Policy Institute, from the NAACP, and from the National 
Council of La Raza called for us to develop legislation to mitigate the 
job crisis facing millions of Americans. They outline what we believe 
is a very robust jobs program and bill:
  First, the fast-track creation of jobs in the public sector that 
serve community-level needs.
  Second, immediate investment in the infrastructure of schools and 
public transit.
  Third, the prevention of the foreclosure crisis.
  It is very important to recognize and understand what these leaders 
are saying with regard to the entire country in this economic 
recession. The diversity of American communities clearly dictates that 
one size does not fit all, according to Ben Jealous of the NAACP.
  We have to rebuild Main Street and rescue Back Street. We just can't 
go back to the economy of 3 to 4 years ago when African Americans 
suffered perennial unemployment rates.

                          ____________________